


Adjust

by CaylePolin



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Dimension Travel, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 19:53:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16646660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaylePolin/pseuds/CaylePolin
Summary: He wasn't supposed to be in this dimension, yet here he is. And with him came the trauma. (Ratchet and Clank fandom OCs)





	Adjust

**Author's Note:**

> A drabble I wrote up a while back /ovo/

He sat  at the edge of the balcony, hands clasped together as he stared out to the city.

There was so much here. So many lights, noises, smells… Bee’s been used to the smell and chemical tastes of a laboratory, the stench of decay and rot. He breathed in through his nostrils, shutting his eyes. This place was a lot more different than he thought. He was used to the air being stagnant, dry… suffocating...

He was brought out of his quiet daze to the sound of the balcony door opening. Sebastian, the long haired Lombax with eyes sharper than any knife he'd seen. He wasn’t too keen on Bee abruptly joining the apartment without notice… granted Seth had managed to convince Sebastian to let him stay at least long enough to adjust to being in this timeline. He’s still a bit of a hard ass though...

“How are you adjusting, Bee?” Sebastian began, closing the door behind him with one hand. The other had two mugs, steaming hot. He took one and offered it to Bee, “Seth made hot cocoa, he asked me to bring a marshmallow separate from yours since he wasn't sure if you liked cocoa plain or not.” He brought out the small marshmallow in a small plastic bag from his sweatpants pocket.

Bee paused before taking the mug and marshmallow and plopping the sweet in the mug, mumbling “Thanks.” He absentmindedly took a sip, regretting it silently as he scalded his tongue. He placed the mug on the balcony ledge and continued to stare out to the cityscape as he smacked his lips, half to get the excess cocoa off his lips, half to cool his burning tongue.

Sebastian leaned on the balcony edge, staring out as well. He looked over to Bee, saying, “Seth told me about your previous circumstances.”

Bee froze, shoulders stiffening as he asked, “Told you… about what?”

“Not very much. Just that you really, really didn’t want him to leave you behind. And that you risked keeping him in that previous timeline he talked about.” Sebastian looked over to Bee as he said this, a look of contempt apparent. “You’re lucky he has a bleeding heart and vouched for you, otherwise I would’ve made sure you didn’t show your face around here again.” 

Bee swallowed hard, eyes shifting over to Sebastian’s, that bored into the side of his head. “Sorry… I didn’t fully understand that… that risk…”

The long-haired Lombax quietly scoffed. “Right.” Sebastian just shut his eyes and leaned a bit further over the balcony. “He vanished right in front of me, you know… the first time the timeline merged.”

Bee subtly perked up to this. Sebastian continued. “I was kissing him goodnight, because he wasn't feeling well that night, and I sent him off to bed early. The second I pulled away, he was gone… without so much as a gasp of surprise.” The Lombax’s hands seem to fidget. “He was gone for so long. About a week, even, and I was almost fully convinced he was gone for good. But… he then came back. With you in tow.”

The sudden shift of tone in Sebastian’s voice implied that he wasn't exactly pleased with this, Bee could tell easily enough.

“How was I supposed to feel about him telling me, ‘I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back because of Bee.’? I almost lost him because of you!” Sebastian seemed agitated, bitter even. “Because of what, exactly? You didn't want Seth to leave, is that it?” Sebastian turned to face Bee now, anger apparent. “Because no one in your timeline liked you? What was it?!”

“I didn't want Dearest to find me.”

Sebastian blinked, sitting upright and staring at Bee, who was still staring ahead. His skin was taut against his knuckles. Bee noticed Sebastian’s silence and let out a nervous cough. “Um… I mean… I didn’t want to be left alone. That’s all.”

Sebastian paused, reading Bee’s body language. It seemed stiff, like he was petrified by something. Slowly, Sebastian repeated the name, “Dearest..?”

Bee winced at the name repeated, and quickly cut in, “I don't want to talk about it anymore… okay..?” Before Sebastian could interject, Bee quickly added, “Thanks for the... um… cocoa. I'm sure Seth's waiting for you...” Bee turned himself further away from Sebastian.

Sebastian was almost certain there was more to this, but his train of thought was interrupted by Seth, who emerged oblivious to the heavy tension. 

“Sebby!” Seth said in a sing-song tone. “Come help me make hot cider.” With that, Sebastian was quickly dragged away by the insistent and persuasive force that was Seth, leaving Bee alone again.

-

“Somethin’ on your mind?” Seth leaned around Sebastian's shoulder, kissing at the base of his ear. “You've been quiet.” Sebastian had a concentrated frown as he sliced apples.

“Bee...” Sebastian muttered, to which Seth sighed.

“I know you don't like what happened… but it's not his fault--”

“No. He mentioned someone he called, ‘Dearest’.”

Seth froze at this, pulling away from Sebastian and crossing his arms and looking down. Sebastian turned to Seth, confused. “Seth..?” Seth breathed in, and shut his eyes.

“Dearest is… Dearest is someone that really hurt Bee. I can't say anymore than that...”

“I’m sorry if I seem a bit skeptical, but I don’t really think someone like that--” Sebastian gestured behind him, implying he was referring to Bee, “--could possibly have had any sort of issue that dwarfs your own to the point of risking your safety!” Seth winced, sighing as he’d pulled the brown sugar and cinnamon out.   
  
“You’ve seen his face, right?” Seth asked, turning to Sebastian. “I don’t mean the scar that he and I both have. He has more… god he has so much more…” Sebastian’s face seemed stoic, unsure of what he was hearing as Seth pressed his hands on the kitchen counter. Seth was really stressed about this…   
  
“What are you talking about?”   
  
Seth breathed in before turning to Sebastian, and answering, “For me to properly give context please understand that this was before I began to fully understand him. He…” Seth proceeded to continue gathering ingredients to make apple cider.

“He’s a clone. Not a biomachine like you, or an actual citizen like I am. He’s a full-blooded clone, grown in a vat for a purpose not of his own.” Seth began to spoon in measured amounts of cinnamon into a bowl with brown sugar and clove, continuing. “His purpose was to sabotage and ruin lives that his creator hated with every fiber of his being. His creator was Dearest.” He paused for a moment before turning to Sebastian to specify, “I don’t know Dearest’s actual name, it’s just the name Bee knew him by for so long.

“Bee was the clone of Dearest’s most hated person, Lil’ C--”

Sebastian perked up at this, interrupting, “He’s the one your brother ended up doing what you did with Bee, right?”

“Yeah.” Seth frowned in concern. “Between Bee and Lil’ C, neither one would’ve been better off there. But-” Seth began to stir the dry ingredients. “Bee was made to spite Lil’ C, and…” Seth swallowed hard, his voice becoming husky. “... a-and to replace Lil’ C in Dearest’s life.” 

Sebastian stiffened up at this, repeating, “Replace..? You mean like--”   
  
“Lil’ C, from what Cayle told me, was Dearest’s ex-lover. But Lil’ C ended up so neglected and abused he left, and Dearest hates him to the core for it. So… he made Bee.” Seth had stopped mixing the contents in the bowl, staring ahead to the window overlooking the cityscape.

“Bee was for all intents and purposes supposed to make Lil’ C miserable… But Dearest had different ideas for him… and…” His hand trembled as he recounted what Bee had told him. He breathed in and bowed his head.

“Bee was subservient, beaten, and treated like a piece of trash. A piece of trash that sometimes redeemed themselves by succumbing to whatever whims Dearest wanted…. No matter how fucked up and disgusting it was.” Seth’s grip on the bowl tightened, “And even after the fact he’d just go back to treating Bee like nothing!” Seth grit his teeth, “Like he was just a temporary commodity! Like he was just supposed to shut his mouth and take the abuse--!!”   
  
**_“Seth!!”_ **   
  
Without warning, the bowl Seth held in an iron grip shattered in his hands, cinnamon and brown sugar falling to the floor as fragments of the bowl fell shortly after, clattering and breaking into further pieces. 

Sebastian jumped to action, scooping up Seth’s hands in his own as he exclaimed, “My god, Seth!! Are you okay?!” Seth’s hands bled from the ceramic embedded in his palms, but he seemed to not notice, now staring at the counter.

“He hurt him so deeply Seb. He made him so miserable, he was so scared of being left alone with Dearest--” The name was more of a snarl on his lips, “I couldn’t leave him there. I wasn’t going to.”

Sebastian stared at Seth. There was never time he’d seen Seth with this angry and powerful of a gaze. As Sebastian carefully took a damp cloth and dabbed at Seth’s bleeding hands, plucking the shards out of his palms, he murmured, “Seth… that couldn’t have been within your control…”   
  
“Seb… I saw myself in Bee.” Seth continued. To this, Sebastian looked up to Seth, surprise on his face. Seth gazed back at Sebastian. “I saw myself, scared, abused, not knowing what to do… cornered by the world and everyone in it, thrown in and just taking the abuse from the universe… I couldn’t let him suffer there.”

“Seth… I--”

A shuffle of footsteps snapped them out of their gaze, turning to see Bee with the empty mug in his hand. He looked… forlorn.    
  
“I… spilled my cocoa after Sebastian left… so I came to put the cup in the sink…” Bee began, seemingly unaware of the conversation previously. “Are you okay, Seth?”    
  
“I… I’m fine.” Seth lied, now hiding his hands in the damp cloth. “I’d just dropped the bowl, that’s all.” He smiled, “If you want, I can make you some more.”

To this Bee smiled sadly, and answered, “Nah, I’m just gonna… sit back out at the balcony.”   
  
“Ah. Okay Bee, don’t stay out for too long, it’s supposed to be cold tonight.” Seth called after Bee as he went back to the balcony. It was quiet until Sebastian broke the silence.   
  
“He was inside before you broke the bowl.”    
  
“Huh?” Seth responded, shaking his head in surprise.

Sebastian pointed to the balcony, “I heard him come in when you mentioned the scars on his face. He was there for the conversation.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” Seth asked fretfully, gripping his hair. “I don’t want Bee thinking about what happened to him right now!! He doesn’t… he doesn’t need to think of it…”

“...” Sebastian was quiet in thought, before answering, “He might need to.” Before Seth could protest, Sebastian brought a finger to Seth’s lips, continuing, “Letting it fester will only make it worse. You stay in here and clean up the mess, I’ll go… and see if he’s okay.” 

Seth looked over to the side before nodding, “Okay… please be gentle with him.” Sebastian smirked, and replied, “I can’t promise I won’t be a little blunt, but I’ll try my best, dear.”

-

Sebastian peered out from the sliding glass door, noticing Bee staring out at the cityscape again. He quietly shut the door behind him before asking, “It’s a nice view, isn’t it?”

Bee simply nodded, “It ain’t so barren, and it has life in it that ain’t undead clones.” Bee sighed, shifting his weight a bit before continuing, “The city air has more scent and life to it… it’s probably an inconvenience but… it’s nice.”

Sebastian made his way over to Bee, and mirrored his posture as he stared out to the flickering neon lights of Meridian.

“... All of the stuff Dearest did to me…”   
  
Sebastian perked up, realizing Bee was talking again. He looked over to Bee, noticing that he was looking down at the city now, deep in thought.

“All the stuff Dearest to me… that I was put through...” Bee lifted his head, staring straight ahead for a moment before turning his eyes to Sebastian.

“That’s… that’s not ‘normal’... is it..?”

Sebastian opened his mouth to answer, before wincing and looking away. Of course it wasn’t! So why was it so hard to say? Sebastian wracked his brain trying to think of a way to confirm this without words.

“ _ Seb… I saw myself in Bee. I saw myself, scared, abused, not knowing what to do… cornered by the world and everyone in it, thrown in and just taking the abuse from the universe... _ ”

Sebastian sat upright, looking to Bee again, who instinctively backed away for a moment.

“ _ … I couldn’t let him suffer there _ .”

With no prior warning, Sebastian approached Bee and wrapped his arms tightly around Bee. Sebastian murmured into Bee’s shoulder, eyes closed and brow furrowed,

“I’m so sorry.”

Sebastian felt Bee tremble, and his hands slowly wrap around Sebastian’s back, before Bee started to bawl, his knees buckling as the both fell to their knees, Sebastian supporting Bee as he cried, gently reassuring him that he was okay. That he was safe.

That he had time to adjust, and he’d help him every step of the way.


End file.
